FLL is a hands on competition for students in 4th-8th grades. The competition itself is composed of four parts: Core Values, Robot Design, the Challenge Project, and Robot Performance.

The LegoDogs division runs from September through December, January, or April based on the level of competition the team achieves. Every LegoDogs team attends a regional qualifying event in Illinois in December. The qualifiers are on Saturdays or Sundays over the weekends preceding Christmas. If a team scores in approximately the overall top 25% of the teams in attendance at their qualifier, they proceed to a State Championship Tournament which take place in mid-January. At the State Championship, the overall top team earns the Champion’s Award and potentially a spot to the World Festival in April.

Current Season

Registration for the 2017-2018 season is closed.

Member fee for this division is $275.00.

The division is capped at 112 students. Registration will close when the limit is reached, or if it's not reached, it will close on September 3rd to allow time to prepare for the season.

LegoDogs

The LegoDogs program is designed for 4th-8th grade students in the Fox Valley Area. LegoDogs teams build a LEGO robot with LEGO Mindstorm EV3 Kits and program it to complete tasks on the current season's field table. Teams also complete the Challenge Project.

Accordion Widget

Fees and Payments

Fees and Payments

Registration fees can be made by credit card or mail in check.

The registration cost includes national team registration, Illinois tournament registration, meeting room fees, season t-shirt, a team challenge budget, parts and materials replenishment, and the robotics general funds. Misuse or abuse resulting in damaged pieces will be charged for appropriately.

The registration cost does not cover possible field trip costs. We don’t know what the challenge is going to require and we leave field trip decisions until the end of September.

Also included in registration are five gift cards. These cards can be used at the designated local establishments for discounts. Each card retails for $10.00. You can give them away as gifts or sell them for $10.00 each. If you sell them, the money is yours to keep; this lowers the registration cost by $50.00.

If you want to or can sell more cards, contact us for details.Cards should be available at the end of September and are good for one year.

A limited amount of scholarships are available for those who are in financial need. If a student wants to do robotics, we will make it happen somehow. Contact us for more information

All payments are not refundable.

FVR reserves the right to refuse a person from participating in a division. Registrants will be offered a full refund if this occurs.

Accordion Widget

Parts of the Competition

Parts of the Competition

Teams are tasked with designing a custom robot to compete on the competition table designed around the current season's theme. In Illinois, teams have between August and December to build and program their robot before a qualifying tournament. Teams also have to perform in three additional areas: Core Values, Robot Design and the Challenge Project. These are judged presentations put together by the team in advance for evaluation at the qualifier event.

The Core Values presentation is used to portray how the team functioned during the season including, but not limited to:

Team spirit

Integration of FLL values into daily life

Efficiency

Respect

Inclusion of all team members

The Robot Design presentation is a technical discussion describing and outlining the important aspects of the robot such as:

Durability

Efficiency

Programming Quality

Strategy

Innovation

The Challenge Project is an essential part of the competition in which teams identify and research a problem involving the year’s theme, create an innovative solution to solve or reduce the effects of the identified problem, and share the problem and solution with others. Teams are scored on the

To join an FVR team, a student must be registered prior to the kick-off/first meeting. The season is capped at 112 students between 4th and 8th grades.

Teams within FVR are formed based on the following priorities:

Participant Requests (friends, siblings, previous teammates)

Grade

School

Town

FVR teams are typically between 5 and 7 students. Additional factors taken into consideration are previous experience in robotics programs and gender.

FVR tends to put rookie members on teams with other rookies members to both preserve the team's rookie status for competitions and to allow the team members to grow in knowledge and skill together.

Late registrants may be considered depending on current team load.

Accordion Widget

Season Schedule

Season Schedule

The FVR LegoDogs (FLL) season kicks-off typically in early September after the international challenge release. The FLL season ends in December or January based on the level of competition the team advances to.

4th-5th grade teams meet during the group LegoDogs PM meeting on Saturdays at Rotolo Middle School from 12:30pm-3:00pm which includes tear down. Typically, rookie PM teams start the season meeting only during the Saturday meetings. Later in the season, late October or early November, teams may want to meet one additional time per week to practice the Challenge Project or other judged areas. Experienced 4th/5th grade teams are expected to have additional weekly meetings by the end of September or beginning of October to focus on the Challenge Project. Additional meetings or sessions are encouraged closer to qualifying tournaments to practice the judged categories.

6th-8th grade teams meeting during the group LegoDogs AM meeting session on Saturdays from 8:30am-12pm at Rotolo Middle school. Rookie teams in the AM session are encouraged to meet one additional time per week by the middle of October. Additional meetings are encouraged towards the end of November to prepare for upcoming tournaments. Experienced AM teams are expected to set their own schedule while still meeting the expectations placed on an experienced team. Typically, these teams meet 1-2 additional times per week throughout the season as a full team or as sub-teams.

The Saturday meetings are required for all teams. Rookie teams are expected to be in attendance at each meeting while experienced teams are required to be in attendance a minimum of 80% of the time.

Teams typically use Saturday meetings to work on their robot, make decisions as a whole team, practice presentations and talk to other teams. The meeting facilitators use Saturday meetings to teach new concepts, discuss competition rules and guidelines, answer team questions, coordinate presentations from experienced teams, and encourage mentorship between teams.

A detailed division schedule is discussed during the second and third season meetings. An overview schedule is handed out to participating members during the first month.

Accordion Widget

Intraclub Competition

Intraclub Competition

FVR teams participate in the Intra-club competitions (scrimmages) in November. The three scrimmages occur on back-to-back weekends (either Saturday or Sunday) ending the weekend prior to Thanksgiving. Scrimmages are an essential part to being an FVR FLL team. They provide teams the opportunity to practice their presentations and Q&A sessions as well as run their robots in a timed setting. Teams are expected to have at least 4 parents in attendance: three to be judges for the scrimmages and one parent to walk around with the team.

Accordion Widget

Qualifying Tournaments

Qualifying Tournaments

With multiple LegoDogs teams and limited spots at tournaments, including the Batavia tournament, FVR teams attend different qualifiers. Two to three LegoDogs teams go to a qualifier to compete, and so there are between six and eight qualifiers that we attend.

FVR parents are expected to be involved in some way. They are expected to work together to coach the team unless a parent or two decides to step-up and be a coach. Teams cannot be in attendance on Saturday meetings without at least one parent in attendance in addition to a coach. Below are a few of the possible parent involvement scenarios:

One coach with additional involved parents who offer support whether it be helping the team troubleshoot, time management, coordination, planning, or as assistant coaches.

Two coaches where one coach may be a "robot" coach and guide the team in the robot game and technical presentation while the other coordinates the Challenge Project.

Two coaches who share the work equally

More than two coaches who share the work

Typically, FVR's more successful teams have multiple coaches who share the work. It provides a better dynamic for the team to grow and learn from.

FVR coaches are expected to follow these guidelines:

Kids do the work.

Coaches are meant to be guides: help lead students to the answers while never giving them the answer.

Be fair and consistent while mediating team discussions.

Help the team divide work and make sure every voice and contribution is heard.

Push the team to learn new topics, grow as individuals, and grow as a team.

Kids do the work.

Coaches of experienced or older teams are expected to step back and let their students manage themselves within the capabilities of the team.

A great coach is one who can help students learn in a fun and engaging way while encouraging them to try new things and push the boundaries of their knowledge base. Great coaches do not have to know how to build a LEGO robot or program it to do a mission; great coaches can analyze a robot task or action and help their students break it down into manageable pieces. Great coaches help guide their students in effective time management and communication.

Accordion Widget

Team Responsibilities

Team Responsibilities

FVR teams are expected to:

Do the work.

Take mistakes in-stride: they are learning tools, learn from them.

Share the work with your fellow teammates.

Encourage yourself, your teammates, and fellow students.

Help guide your teammates or other teams to answers if they need help.

Push yourselves to learn new ideas and concepts.

Live the FLL Core Values both in robotics and in your everyday life.

Rookie teams use the experience of their parents/coaches to help guide them and instruct them. Experienced teams are expected to show leadership skills and take some of the responsibilities of their coaches onto their own shoulders.

FVR teams are also expected to:

Help fellow FVR teams.

Be respectful and mindful of our Saturday meetings including discussions, speakers, other teams and your own team.

Be responsible: take initiative to clean up your own messes but help others as well, help set-up/clean-up/tear-down the meeting room, and behave well.

Be respectful of the equipment and facility including robots and field kits.

Awards

FVR teams attend numerous qualifying and state competitions.

*If you participated on an FVR LegoDogs team in the past and don't see an award that was earned listed, please let us know!